The Legend of the Pokemorph
by shadowtala
Summary: Four new trainers start off on their journey. They'll travel all around the region of Safria to become the trainers they've always wanted to be. One of them has a secret, however, one that every Pokemon they meet seems to know. How will these trainers do out in the world and who are the Pokemon liberators sweeping the region?
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to the region of Safria! Here aspiring trainers must first attend the Pokémon Academy for one year. There they learn all about the world of Pokémon and prepared for the trials they may face. Once they graduate the students don't get a standard starter, instead the graduating class gains access to Starter Park. This park is owned by the school and stocked with stage one Pokémon of all kinds, allowing the students a variety to choose from for a starter. Equipped with a Starter ball – able to catch any stage one Pokémon, a map, and whatever rations they student chooses to bring; they have one day to find their first partner on their Pokémon journey!

The next graduating class was gathered outside the park gates. A group of thirty ten-year-olds all eager to meet their first Pokémon. None more excited than Tala. They stood at the front of the crowd with their best friend, Astrid, in tow.

Tala had short brown hair and brown eyes with purple glasses over them. They were originally from Unova, but moved all over, eventually ending up in Safria. They wore a dark purple shirt, basketball shorts, and rainbow tennis shoes. They had the latest model of the Pokedex in their front pocket, and a black backpack on their shoulders. Their parents were more than eager to send them to the academy. While their parents claimed it was for Tala's benefit, they couldn't shake the feeling it was to get rid of them… Tala had a secret, one they've only shared with their family and Astrid.

Astrid was not as thrilled as her fellow classmates. Astrid had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She was from Alola, but her parents, in a rare moment of agreement, decided this would be good for her. She wore a blue tanktop and jean shorts with a pair of flipflops – which she called slippers – along with an old tan shoulder bag filled to bursting. She didn't care much for being a trainer though travelling sounded nice. At least she could get a few water types before she "retired" back home and stayed on the beach all day. That didn't mean she wanted to be at the front of the group, but she couldn't slink off with the iron grip Tala had on her wrist.

"Welcome, students," the headmaster began, everyone fell silent, "or should I say trainers!" He paused while everyone cheered. "Now, I know you all want to get going and meet your first Pokémon partner," more cheers, " _but,"_ he waited until everyone calmed down, for a group of ten-year-olds that was a trial. "I need to explain the rules of the park. Everyone was given a map and a Starter ball at breakfast. Starter balls work differently than other Pokéballs, they aren't a one-time use. If they fail to capture a Pokémon you can pick it up and try again. They only stop once a capture has been registered. Understand?" A resounding 'yes' was his answer. "However, that does not mean you can keep throwing and hope for the best. Not all Pokémon are willing to be caught so easily. That is why before entering the park you'll receive one normal-type Pokémon in case you need to battle. They will be given at _random._ " He gave a look to all the students before he continued. "You will have until 8:30pm to find your starter Pokémon. Finally, battles between trainers aren't allowed until after graduation tomorrow. Now please make two lines at the gate to receive the borrowed Pokémon and good luck!" The kids rushed to the gates before he finished.

Astrid blinked and suddenly was at the gate, just before the hoard of new trainers. She shot a look at Tala, who, despite the eagerness on their face, was sweating.

"Not necessary," Astrid whispered. Tala didn't care, they were first in line and first in the park, with Astrid still in tow.

The two of them had made plans at breakfast on where they should go first once in the park. Straight towards the river to find Astrid's starter then wander around for Tala's. They both released their borrowed Pokémon. A Starly landed in front of Tala, he took one look at them, stuck one wing out and bowed to them. The Rattata that Astrid released did the same to Tala. It was common enough for Pokémon to act that way.

"No need for that," Tala said and motioned for the Starly to sit on their shoulder. Astrid made a face at Rattata, but smiled in the end.

"My mom would be so angry if I caught one of you," she said. Rattata cocked her head then jumped at Astrid. She flinched back but Tala shot a hand out to catch the purple rat.

"She's not quite use to Pokémon just yet," Tala said. "Do you mind giving her a little space?" Rattata nodded and jumped back on the ground.

"Thanks," Astrid smiled.

"What attacks do you two know?" Tala asked.

" _I know Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Growl, and Tackle,"_ Starly said.

" _Quick Attack, Tackle, and Bite,"_ Rattata answered next. Tala relayed Rattata's moves to Astrid.

They all continued into the park, the river flowed between a forest and meadow. A herd of Skiddo grazed in the grass, a few noticed the two soon-to-be-trainers and alerted the others. They all bowed towards Tala. Tala waved awkwardly as they passed.

"Any ideas what you're looking for yet?" Tala asked.

"No," Astrid sighed. A Magikarp leapt out of the river. "Not that…" she said.

"Fair," Tala nodded, "they would be hard for a starter and–"

"An Eevee!" Astrid shouted. "Rattata, Tackle!" Rattata shot forward and tackled the startled Eevee.

The brown fox retaliated with Swift that sent Rattata flying backwards.

"Tackle again!" Astrid shouted. The Eevee used Quick Attack to dodge then turned and wagged his tail at Rattata. "Come on! Tackle!" That one hit and while Eevee was down Astrid threw her Starter ball.

 _Whack!_

The ball went sailing into the bushes.

A Farfetch'd stood in front of Eevee, posed with his leek behind him. He straightened up and went marching off, chanting: _It's been decided._

Eevee ran off.

Astrid stared, dumbfounded, at the spot Farfetch'd had been. Tala tried not to laugh… they really did. A ding brought them back to the present.

Both exchanged looks before walking over to the bushes. Astrid's Starter ball showed a successful capture. She picked it up and released the Pokémon. A pink sloth laid on the ground, his tail curved up and tipped white.

"Slow," the Slowpoke yawned. Astrid's eye twitched. Tala didn't bother to hide their laughter. Rattata and Starly joined in.

"At least… he's a… water-type!" Tala said between laughter. Astrid returned Slowpoke and started to walk off. Tala calmed as they followed after her.

Astrid didn't speak until lunch… a miracle for her, but she was annoyed. They stopped at the lake at the center of the park to eat the bentos provided to them. A few other people had the same idea.

"See any Pokémon that "speak" to you?" Astrid asked.

"Well… yeah," Tala grinned. "Over there and there, oh and there." They pointed to every Pokémon in their line of sight. Astrid threw a clump of rice at them.

"You know what I mean," she huffed. Her Slowpoke was beside her, staring at the oran berry in front of him.

"Not yet," Tala sighed, "maybe after lunch, I'll… hello?" A small blue jackal came up to Tala's side, he placed a timid hand on their knee and inclined his head.

" _Perhaps, I may be your Pok_ é _mon?_ " the Riolu asked.

"Really?" Tala blinked. "I didn't think there were Riolu here."

" _If it's not an imposition,"_ Riolu bowed his head again.

"Sure," Tala sat their food down and stood up. "Would you like to battle first?" Riolu nodded then leapt backwards and struck a fighting pose.

"Starly, go!" Tala shouted. Starly cried as he flew forward. "Wing Attack!"

Starly's wings glowed white at he sped towards Riolu. Riolu jumped, boosted with Quick Attack then shot towards Starly with a glowing silver fist. Starly took the hit, but got Riolu with a Wing Attack as well. Both Pokémon went flying backwards. Riolu made a three-point landing while Starly got control of his flight pattern. At Tala's shout Starly and Riolu used Quick Attack.

"Dodge and Wing Attack!" Tala shouted. Starly slipped to the side of Riolu, pulled a u-turn, but not the move, and slammed his wing into Riolu's back.

The moment Riolu landed Tala threw their Starter ball. It pulled Riolu in and rocked once… twice… three times… ding!

Tala cheered, as did the small crowd that had gathered.

"That was so cool!" Some kid said.

"I've got to step up my game!" Someone else said.

Tala picked up their Starter ball and released Riolu. They grinned as they passed an oran berry to Riolu.

"Welcome to the team," Tala said. "Can I give you a nickname?"

Riolu nodded as he finished his berry.

"I was thinking Luke? You look like a Luke," Tala said.

" _Fine by me,"_ Luke nodded. _"Though I've only ever looked like a Riolu."_

Tala laughed and walked back over to Astrid.

"Am I going crazy or has prolong exposure to you allowed me to understand Pokémon?" Astrid asked.

" _I am using aura to make myself understood,"_ Luke answered. He sat beside Slowpoke as the trainers finished their lunches.

"Astrid, Luke. Luke, Astrid," Tala introduced.

"Oh yeah… you can give Pokémon names…" Astrid looked at her Slowpoke for a long moment.

"Your name is now Lightning," Astrid nodded.

"I… okay," Tala nodded.

Graduation took forever, really it took about an hour and a half, but that was like forever.

Astrid and Tala made their way outside of the auditorium and were immediately accosted by two other students.

"Astrid," Sora Miki called. She dragged a timid boy behind her and a shiny Gastly floated by her head. The Gastly gave a nod towards Tala. "Let's battle!"

"Um…" Astrid made a face.

"Yeah!" Tala cheered. "A double battle!"

"Yes!" Sora nodded. Tala took Astrid's arm and joined Sora in dragging their friends to the battle fields.

Sora's family came from Kanto, noticeable from her tan skin, black hair, and dark brown eyes. She dyed her bangs bright green and wore a mismosh of clothes. A flower headband, a blood red skull shirt, white washed jeans with rips in them, and combat boots. She had a backpack in the shape of a cheeseburger. An Ekans skin poked out of it.

The boy, which neither Tala or Astrid recognized, looked like he came from Sinnoh. He had black hair that puffed up like a little afro, his eyes a bright brown. A single facial hair poked out over his lip. He wore a green shirt with a Pokéball design on it and dark jeans. A large, overstuffed blue backpack sat on his shoulders and looked ready to topple him over.

"Okay! Double battle, first side to lose both Pokémon loses!" Sora yelled. "This is Ken by the way!" Ken waved nervously.

"Go, Spoopy!" Sora pointed forward, her Gastly floated forwards. Ken through his Starter ball. In a sparkle of light, a shiny Ralts landed on the field. She bowed once she noticed Tala.

"How did you both get shiny Pokémon?" Tala asked, distracting them from Ralts' bow.

"I gave him snacks!" Sora said.

Ken murmured something. Sora nodded solemly.

Tala and Astrid exchanged looks then threw their Starter balls in unison.

"Luke! Lightning! Go!" They shouted.

"Go for the Slowpoke! The Riolu shouldn't have anything effective!" Sora called. Ken nodded in agreement.

Ralts melted into shadows while Spoopy floated towards Lightning, his tongue hung out ready to Lick.

"Lightning move!" Astrid shouted, her arms flailing.

"You have to call out attacks!" Tala said. "Luke! You know what to do!"

"Hypocrite!" Astrid glared at Tala.

Ralts began to form behind Lightning just as Spoopy got to him. Their attacks hit at once… but Lightning disappeared. Spoopy Licked Ralts and Ralts used Shadow Sneak on Spoopy. Paralysis set in on Ralts and in a flash crackled over Spoopy as well. Lightning appeared behind them just as Luke slammed his body into Spoopy, boosted by Quick Attack.

"What!" Sora screamed.

" _Foresight!"_ Luke called as Spoopy floated, unconscious.

"Forgot about that," Sora sighed. She returned him and cheered Ken on.

Ralts spun around, nodding towards Ken as if he said something, then teleported next to Luke. She built up a pulse of Confusion as Luke readied a Bullet Punch.

"Lightning! Use a water attack!" Astrid shouted.

"Really?" Tala gave her a look. "Did you even –" They were cut off as Lightning released a high pressured wave of water. It slammed into both Ralts and Luke. When it stopped Ralts was out cold, while Luke held on, breathing heavily.

" _Endure,"_ he huffed. _"We win."_ His knees buckled and he collapsed.

Tala returned Luke as Ken returned Ralts, then turned to Astrid.

"Did you know Lightning could do that?" Tala asked. At her look Tala shook their head. "Did you even scan him with your Pokédex?"

"Uh…" Astrid scratched her head. "Whoops?" She tried. At Tala's glare she sighed and dug out her Pokédex. It was last year's model with a blue casing. The screen slid up to have two screens and a scanner/camera was positioned on the center of the back and on the top screen forward.

"Slowpoke, the dopey Pokémon," the Pokédex started in a monotone female voice, "Slowpoke's tail is delicious. There are no nerves in the tail allowing it to fall off or be bitten without Slowpoke feeling any pain. While often lost in thought, Slowpoke have been shown to be excellent fishers. This Slowpoke is female and has the ability Regenerator. She knows the attacks: Amnesia, Teleport, Hydro Pump, and Psychic."

"That is an O.P. Slowpoke," Sora said. Her and Ken now stood next to the others. Everyone nodded.

"Oh!" Sora smacked Astrid's arm in excitement. "We were wondering! Do you two want to travel with us? Strength in numbers and all."

"Yeah!" Astrid cheered. "Four is _way_ better than two." Tala nodded in agreement.

"But first!" Sora thrusted a finger into the air. "To Nurse Joy!"

How Sora and Ken met their Pokémon:

Sora was so ready to catch a Pokémon and become a trainer with cool new friends and… oooh shiny. Sora squatted to pick up a sparkling stone then she noticed an Ekans shedding just a ways away. That would be awesome to have. The stone went in her pocket and the shedding draped over her neck. This pattern of finding things on the ground continued as she made her way through the park, unknowingly heading into the creepy part most people avoided.

"Hey a marble," Sora said.

"Gas?" A Gastly floated over to her.

"Hey a Gastly," Sora stood to look at him. "Wanna see the marble?" She held it out to him.

The Gastly turned upside down as he examined the marble then he proceeded to lick it. He pulled back and righted himself to look at Sora expectantly. Sora brought the marble to her face and licked it too. Both her and Gastly nodded – or what could be counted as a nod from a Gastly – before they started walking further into the forest.

"Hey… wait a minute," Sora looked closer at Gastly who grinned back at her, "you're not the right kind of purple." The Gastly tilted to the side in question. "Gastly smoke is more of a dark violet, but yours is a blue-gray. Your core too! It's purple not black… I like purple."

"Gastly," he nodded again. "Gas gastly?"

"Yup, I noticed," Sora went back to walking. She found a cool stick and gave it to Gastly, who promptly dropped it as he didn't have a tangible body.

"That's a good place for it," Sora nodded. "Do you want lunch?" Gastly made an excited noise that sounded vaguely like a muffled scream.

"Cool," Sora dropped to her knees and proceeded to pull out an array of small snacks and bentos from her bag, as well as a picnic blanket and portable DVD player. Gastly watched in amazement and curiosity.

"Have you ever seen this show? It's called Beartic's Café." Gastly shook his head. " _What!_? This must be rectified!" She pressed play and they spent the next several hours watching TV while eating.

A buzzer sounded, snapping Sora and Gastly out of their show.

" _Attention students! It is now 8:15. Please begin to make your way back to the front of the park."_

"Wait… where are we? What was I doing?" Sora asked. It took a moment but she remembered and pulled out her Starter ball. "I forgot to capture a Pokemon!" She looked around frantic.

Gastly bumped into the ball and was sucked in. The ball clicked and let loose a ding to signify capture.

"Oh… thanks!" Sora let Gastly out and packed up before heading back. "I think I'll call you… Spoopy." Gastly had no problem with that.

Ken was a quiet, meek boy, so while everyone else charged into the park, he meandered in and kept to the paths. No Pokémon really caught his attention as he walked.

Around lunch time he took a seat on one of the benches spread throughout the park and pulled out a sandwich. He took a bite and watched as a group of screaming kids ran past, their Starter balls were all primed as they frantically searched for something.

"Where's the shiny?" Someone yelled.

"I saw it go this way!" Someone else yelled out.

Ken pointed in the opposite direction and those who saw him took off, the others followed thinking they saw something.

"They're gone," Ken said. A blue Ralts poked her head out from his shadow then teleported onto his lap. "Want some?" He offered half his sandwich.

" _Thank you,"_ the Ralts telepathed to him. She looked him up and down as she nibbled the sandwich. _"You will do."_ Ken cocked his head as his Starter ball was levitated out of his pocket. Ralts sat the sandwich on his lap before letting the ball tap her forehead. She disappeared in a flash of red, the ball rolled once and clicked followed by a ding. Ralts let herself out and continued to eat.

"Okay," Ken nodded and finished his food.

A few minutes later the group of kids came back, all of them screamed when they spotted Ralts. Ralts stuck her tongue out and returned herself before coming back out.

The kids groaned and parted ways to search for another Pokemon.

" _Good,"_ Ralts said. _"Shall we go?"_ Ken shrugged and Ralts took that as a go ahead. She teleported them out of the park… well she tried. She was still young after all. She managed to get them to the gate, but she took it was a win.


	2. Chapter 2

AN/ So this is chapter two, I'm off on Wednesday and Thursday so I'll most likely update at least once on those days. The two shiny Pokémon will be the only ones for a while, there are a few more planned, but not until later in the story. I hope you enjoy. Feel free to rate and review as well.

Chapter 2: Into the woods

The four new trainers started their journey immediately after their Pokémon were healed. It was about a half day walk from the academy to the nearest town and none of them wanted to camp outside on their first night. All of their Pokémon were out with them, though Lightning trailed behind them, she often teleported ahead of them and was passed by again. Astrid found it incredibly amusing and Lightning didn't seem to mind.

Route 1 was a mostly open area with a few trees spread out. They passed some classmates as they went, some had left before them, others were still back at the academy, while some… who knows where they are. Needless to say the four of them had plenty of time to get to know each other.

"So, what's everyone's goal?" Sora asked.

"I just want a bunch of water types," Astrid said.

"I want to be a strong trainer," Ken murmured. Everyone nodded as if he spoke normally.

"I want to eat all kinds of awesome snacks with new friends!" Sora said.

"I…" Tala thought it over and shrugged. "I guess I just want to go where _I_ want to go. Meet new Pokémon and…" They shrugged again.

"Cool!" Sora nodded. "Okay so then we're all doing the gym challenge right? Or did someone want to do contest?"

"Gym," Tala and Ken said together.

"Though I might try a contest or two… if my Pokémon are into it," Tala said.

" _It could be fun,"_ Luke nodded.

"It's so awesome you can speak," Sora said.

" _I can too,_ " Ken's Ralts – Elizabeth – used telepathy on everyone.

"Well, yeah, but a lot of Psychic Pokémon can do that," Sora said. "It's still cool though… I've heard some Gastly have learned to speak as well." She looked at Spoopy who did a spin in place of a shrug.

"What's the first Gym anyways?" Tala asked. They pulled out their Pokédex. It was the latest model, a hand held rectangle with a large screen, a purple and black case covered it. The Pokédex functioned beyond scanning Pokémon but also as a computer, phone, and transfer system. This model came with a Porygon in it as well, though they weren't developed for battle at all, they functioned as protection from theft and if needed shields for their owner. Sora had the same model, with a blood red and black case.

"Techno," Tala tapped the screen. The Porygon appeared as a little avatar with a pinwheel over him.

" _Accessing,"_ Techno's voice came from the Pokédex. _"The closest Gym specializes in the Dragon-type."_

" _What!?_ " Tala stopped in their tracks. "Who puts a Dragon-type Gym where the rookies start?"

" _The Gym is meant is assess the ability of the new trainers. It gives low level challenges to new trainers. Many return near the end of their journey to test themselves against the higher tier dragons the gym is known for,"_ Techno explained.

"Well… I guess?" Tala sighed. "So Ice, Dragon, and Fairy…" They looked at Luke. "Do you think you could learn Ice Punch?"

" _Perhaps,"_ Luke tapped his chin, " _I'll have to feel Ice-type energy first."_

Tala nodded.

"We can handle that later," they said.

Sora brought out her own Pokédex.

"Hey, Hambone, can Gastly learn anything effective?" She asked.

" _Gastly can learn the move Dazzling Gleam, but only through TM. There aren't currently any TMs for sale near us. The normal going rate is 10,000 Poké."_ Hambone answered in a cool female voice.

"Nope!" Sora shook her head vigorously. "We'll just do our best." Spoopy agreed.

"Lightning could probably learn Ice Beam if you really tried," Tala suggested, "and Elizabeth could learn Disarming Voice rather easily."

A ding caught everyone's attention.

Ken picked up a Pokéball and released his new Pokémon.

A Rattata came out.

"Um… why?" Astrid asked.

"He's top percent," Ken smiled like he made a joke. None of them understood.

He shrugged and pulled out his Pokédex. It was an older model, made to look like a handheld game station. It had a green case, but that was the only customization to the beaten up 'dex.

" _Rattata, the mouse Pokémon,"_ it read in a male voice, _"_ _With their strong capacity for survival, they can live in dirty places without concern. Left unchecked, their numbers multiply rapidly. They are very cautious, listening to every sound even while sleeping. This Rattata is male and has the ability Hustle. He knows the moves: Quick Attack, Me First, Endure, and Endeavor."_

"I never want to battle that thing," Sora said. Tala nodded their agreement.

"Imagine fighting Rattata and Lightning together," Tala said.

"No, no," Sora covered her ears. "You shut your mouth."

Tala and Astrid laughed.

They reached Jang Town by sunset.

"I now understand why P.E. was so grueling," Tala sighed while they looked for the Pokémon Center on their map.

"I just want to sleep," Astrid said. Lightning teleported in front of her and tripped her for the fourth time that day.

"Okay," Astrid said into the ground, "return." Nothing happened.

"You have to press the button," Tala said without looking at her.

Astrid groaned as she unclipped her Starter ball and returned Lightning.

"Okay," Tala put their Pokédex away, "it's over here. The Pokémart is next to it. We can stock up tomorrow before going into the forest."

"Sounds good," Sora said. "First, dinner."

Tala was the only one up before nine the next morning, though sleeping in felt very tempting. Their legs and feet were sore from walking so much yesterday, they could only imagine what the others were feeling. Before long they were setting out for Jang Forest. Astrid and Sora were in a stupor as they walked, Ken acted no different… Elizabeth mentioned he was still tired though.

The forest was pretty dense and would normally take two to three days to get through. The four of them decided at dinner they would take more time to train and possibly capture more Pokémon. They worked out their duties as well. Tala and Astrid would switch off on cooking. Sora mentioned she was awful, capable of burning water… and Ken didn't know how beyond instant noodle. Ken would take care of dishes and Sora would handle cleanup of campsites. Whoever didn't cook that night would go find firewood and water if needed.

"So there's many paths in the forest we can take," Tala said.

" _Correct, the most desirable path cuts straight through the forest, however given your decision I recommend one of these paths,"_ Techno highlighted three different paths. _"This one takes us by a river,_ " he marked the path in blue, _"this one goes into the densest part of the forest,"_ that one became green, _"and this one is rather unused by most as it has the roughest terrain."_ That one turned brown.

"The river one sounds nice," Astrid said.

"But the dense forest would be awesome!" Sora said.

"The unused one would have more Pokémon," Ken said.

"Hang on," Tala tranced their finger through the paths.

"The unused one would be best," Tala said. "It has a few ponds around it and the forest is probably overgrown. Like Ken said, there should be a lot of Pokémon there too."

"Sounds good then," Sora said. Ken nodded.

"Fine," Astrid said. "There's no snake Pokémon in there is there?"

"Searching…" Techno hummed, "No Pokémon such as Ekans or Seviper are found in the forest. Common Pokémon types are grass, bug, and flying. A few water types can be found as well. The forest is known for swarms as well, but none have been reported currently."

"Swarms of what?" Astrid asked.

"Dunsparce are the most common," Techno replied.

"We should stop here," Tala marked a spot. "It's close to a pond and still a few hours in. We can set up camp and do some training for the rest of the day.

"Let's go already!" Sora said and marched into the forest.

"Left!" Tala called as Sora continued down the main path.

"Oh! Derp!" She turned and followed the group.

The path held true to its description. The four trainers had to keep supporting each other, making sure no one fell. Trees loomed over them, roots stuck out everywhere, bushes and brush covered most of the ground and obscured the obstacles. Tala almost twisted their ankle on a hidden rock, Astrid tripped over a root, and Sora smacked into a branch she thought was higher up. Ken was the only one that didn't seem to have any problem… he was probably cheating.

"Let's go this way, they said," Astrid muttered, "it'll be fun, they said. There was a nice river path, but nooo, let's go the dangerous way that nobody goes. What happens if we get lost? Or hurt? How will anyone know where to find us?"

"That's… a good point…" Sora said.

" _I can teleport for help,"_ Elizabeth assured.

" _Not to mention,"_ Techno spoke up, _"We still have a strong signal in here. I could easily place a call to the nearest authorities."_

"Well… fine, I guess," Astrid sighed. "I'm all for adventure, but really we should've thought this through more."

"Relax, we're ten minutes from the first campsite," Tala said.

"I can't believe we haven't seen any Pokémon," Sora said.

"Oh, I've seen a few actually," Tala said, "most are in the trees. I saw a herd of Deerling about twenty minutes ago."

"And you didn't say anything?" Sora asked. "A Deerling would've been awesome to have!"

"The Sawsbuck with them didn't look like she wanted to battle. I thought it best we avoid stronger Pokémon at the moment," Tala said.

"That's a good point," Ken said.

"Fine!" Sora sighed.

Techno beeped when they reached the first campsite, unnecessary given the pond was quite obvious… and large.

"This is more of a lake than a pond," Astrid said.

"No kidding," Tala nodded.

" _Updating,"_ Techno said, " _Update complete. I'll ensure the changes to the terrain we find are upload to other maps once we're done."_

"Thanks," Tala said. "Let's set up camp then we can do some training."

Everyone went to work.

When camp was done, the four of them decided to split up to do their own training. Astrid decided to stay at camp, pulling out a fishing rod as the others headed out.

"Okay," Tala looked around to make sure no one was nearby. "This should be a good enough spot." Luke nodded his agreement.

"Alright, so Ice-type," Tala closed their eyes to focus. A shiver ran down their spine and they licked their lips before signaling Luke to hold out his paws.

"Powder Snow," Tala breathed and pellets of soft snow shot from their mouth. They hit Luke's outstretched paws. He concentrated on the feeling and when Tala let up he requested once more.

"One moment," they said, working their jaw open and shut. "That's cold." They took another breath and shot more Powder Snow at Luke's paws.

" _I think I've got it,"_ Luke said. He focused, his fist glowed light blue for a second before fizzling out.

"Almost. Just keep that up," Tala said. They were about to say more, but a whimper caught their attention. A Weedle crawled out of the brush, now covered in frost.

"Whoops," Tala knelt by it, "sorry, buddy, didn't know you were there."

" _I… I… Oh my Arceus it's you,"_ Weedle shook off her body, her large eyes going starry. _"I'm fine, really, that was nothing. I've had waaay worse. Anyways, I'm way stronger than my siblings so a little ice is nothing to me. I also have an attack the others don't have. Want to see?"_

"Sure," Tala chuckled. Weedle reared back, crackles of electricity built over her mouth then shot out in a web.

" _Electroweb!"_ Weedle said proudly. _"I had a Joltik teach me."_

"That's awesome," Tala said, "really useful against flying types too."

" _Maybe I should learn Thunderpunch as well?"_ Luke mused.

"Fire punch too, just to have all three," Tala nodded along.

" _Well, you know… I could help with that,"_ Weedle said, " _If you wanted another teammate that is."_

"Sure!" Tala pulled out a Pokéball. "Would you like to battle first?"

" _Oh no, no,"_ Weedle shook her head vigorously, " _I know you're a worthy trainer."_

Tala tapped the Pokéball against her head and with one shake it registered the capture.

"Alright, Stinger come out!" Tala called.

" _Stinger? I love it!"_ Stinger said.

"Perfect," Tala said and pointed Techno at her.

" _Weedle, the hairy_ Pokémon, _Weedle live in forest and have powerful stinger full of venom. Their bright color is meant to ward of enemies. Their nose is very powerful, easily distinguishing between leaves they like and dislike. This Weedle is female and has the ability Run Away. She knows the moves: Poison Sting, String Shot, and Electroweb."_

"Alright, so while Luke works on Ice Punch why don't we start on Bug Bite for you," Tala said.

" _Right,"_ Stinger nodded.

Sora found a nice spot to sit and pulled out her Ekans skin.

"What should I make you into?" She mused.

"Gastly?" Spoopy twisted himself upside down.

"Oh… yeah…" Sora pulled her Pokédex out. "So you know Lick, Nightshade, and Spite… so maybe Curse would be good to deal with strong opponents… Grudge too, but those are for when we need to bring down someone we know we can't beat. Oh, how about… wait how do you learn the punch moves? You don't have hands."

"Gas?" Spoopy looked over her shoulder.

"Pokémon _are capable of many things, even if they don't make sense,"_ Hambone explained. _"May I suggest Shadow Ball?"_

"Oh perfect!" Sora said. She pointed towards a tree. "Use Shadow Ball!"

Nothing happened.

Hambone let out an electronic sigh.

" _You must coach your_ Pokémon _in how to do new attacks."_ Hambone explained.

"Right…" She looked at Spoopy then down at her Ekans skin.

"So…" She trailed off. Hambone pulled up a video titled: How to teach Shadow Ball. Spoopy watched it then went to copy the steps while Sora sat down and fiddled with the Ekans skin.

Spoopy lost interest after five minutes and floated back over to Sora. She pulled out her DVD player and turned on more Beartic's Café.

"Oh I like this episode," she said, "my favorite character, Ursaring comes in and decides Pancham isn't living up to his full bear potential."

"Sewa," A Sewaddle inched her way up Sora's leg.

"Hello," Sora said, "want a snack?" She pulled out bags of chips and cookies, all Pokémon safe, and poured some on a plate. Sewaddle nibbled a bit, but was more interested in the sewing kit Sora pulled out.

The episodes played one after the other, Sora occasionally added her own commentary. Spoopy switched between watching the show, eating, and making small balls of shadow energy. The Sewaddle figured out what Sora was doing with the skin and started to help, using her String Shot as thread.

Ken found a rock to sit on. Elizabeth walked over to a tree and started shouting at it. The Fairy energy built itself up over time. Rattata attacked a stump with his fangs. Both would stop occasionally to listen to Ken, his voice barely audible, then they would continue training using new techniques.

No Pokémon bothered them.

Astrid and Lightning sat by the pond/lake, both of them fishing. She sat with her feet in the water, her shoes next to her.

"There might not be anything in this pond," Astrid said. Lightning yawned. "Good point… nope can't do it… can't talk to you like Tala or Sora…" She laid back, the fishing pole secured on a hold planted in the ground. "Might as well nap." Lightning blinked at her.

"Sur."

"Yup," Astrid sat back up to see a Surskit gliding across the water.

"Okay, that is cool," she said. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a Net Ball. With a well-aimed toss, the ball hit Surskit on the side and sucked it in. The ball sank as it rocked.

"Whoops," Astrid laughed and jumped in the water after the ball. When she resurfaced she released the Surskit on land and dug out her Pokédex.

" _Surskit, the pond skater_ Pokémon _, Surskit travel across water as if they were skating. When in danger the secrete a sweet smelling liquid that taste awful to flying_ Pokémon. _This Surskit is male and has the ability Swift Swim. He knows the attacks Sweet Scent, Quick Attack, Lunge, and Ice Beam."_

"Oh… you know that attack I'm supposed to teach Lightning," Astrid said. "That's useful. Do you want a nickname?" Surskit twisted his body to say no and went back to skating on the water. Astrid laid back down and took a nap.

It wasn't for a few hours until she was woken up by screaming. After a moment of panic, she recognized it was saying "Ralts" in a very determined voice. Annoyed she reeled in her fishing line. A white and orange Magikarp the size of her palm came up with it.

"How long have you been there?" She asked. The Magikarp just flailed about. Shrugging she pulled out another Net Ball and tapped it against the fish. The ball clicked instantly. Without releasing Magikarp, she scanned it with the Pokédex.

" _Magikarp, the fish_ Pokémon _, Magikarp are considered the most useless of_ Pokémon _, however their prowess in jumping provide ample opportunity for predators to catch them. There are some towns that view Magikarp's jumping ability as amazing and have made competitions centered around it. This Magikarp is female and has the ability Swift Swim. She knows the moves: Splash, Tackle, Flail, and Bounce. Note the coloration on this Magikarp is call Calico, an odd coloring that differs from Shiny. Note the small size of this Magikarp suggest a stunted growth."_

"I'm going to call you Derp," Astrid said.

Once the sun had set, everyone met back up. Tala brought a bag full of berries with them and set to work on dinner. Everyone debriefed around the campfire.

"This is Jacket," Sora said, holding her arm out to show off her new Sewaddle.

"What's on your head?" Astrid asked.

"An Ekans hood!" Sora twirled to show it off. The head curved over her head while the tail traveled down her back. The neck was split farther open and secured with a button to keep it on her neck.

"Jacket helped," Sora said. "Oh and Spoopy learned this." She nodded to her Gastly. He took a deep breath and started to form little Shadow Balls. They all shot out and struck several trees at once causing mini explosions.

"Well… that's new," Tala said. Luke nodded.

"This is Stinger," Tala introduced. "Luke's almost learned Ice Punch and Thunder Punch." Luke lit up his paws for emphasis.

"Rattata learned Hyper Fang," Ken said. "Oh and Elizabeth learned Disarming Voice."

"We know," the other three groaned.

"I caught those two," Astrid motioned to her new Pokémon. Derp was attached to Lightning's tail while Surskit skated around the pond.

"That is, without a doubt, the smallest Magikarp I've ever seen in the history of forever," Sora said.

"Can you imagine how small she'll be as a Gyarados?" Tala asked.

"The least scary Gyarados to ever exist," Sora said.

"Shuddup," Astrid huffed, "Derp is perfect and will be awesome no matter what."

Derp flopped around happily before splashing back into the water.

"Nobody step on him," Ken murmured.

"Dinner," Tala called and everyone switched their focus to food.


	3. Chapter 3

AN/ Here's chapter three. Hope you enjoy, this one is mostly battling.

Day 2 started with a battle.

"Three-way bug battle! Begin!" Sora called.

Surskit, Jacket, and Stinger faced off with Ken refereeing.

"String Shot!" Sora and Tala called out.

"Freeze!" Astrid called.

To sticky strings shot towards each other and met in the middle, an Ice Beam struck a second later.

"Release and roll," Tala said. Stinger rolled to the side and shot a Poison Sting barrage towards Jacket. The ice covered string shattered when it hit the ground, Surskit's Ice Beam continued, aimed at the ground. Jacket panicked as she tried to avoid everything.

"Razor Leaf!" Sora cried. It was enough to block the Poison Stings, but Surskit had taken control of the terrain. Ice slicked the dirt and allowed the pond skater to glide around with ease. The Sewaddle skittered as she tried to keep her footing and tried to slow Surskit down with more String Shot.

"String Shot that branch," Tala called. Stinger hit the branch and pulled herself up. "Shock…now!"

Stinger released an Electroweb, hitting Surskit at right the moment he passed under the branch. Surskit cried out, another wave of Razor Leafs came in and struck Surskit knocking him out for the count.

Jacket had a moment to celebrate before she was hit with Poison Stings. She was about to retaliate when Stinger came swinging in on a String Shot and knocked against the Sewaddle. Stinger latched on with Bug Bite, knocking Jacket out a moment later.

"Winner!" Ken called. "That's gotta sting." Sora groaned at his pun.

A white light encased Stinger and her body began to change. When it ended a Kakuna sat in Stinger's place.

"Awesome job, Stinger," Tala cheered as they went to pat their Pokémon's head… shell. They pulled out their Pokédex to scan her.

" _Kakuna, the cacoon_ Pokémon, _Kakuna remains immobile as it clings to trees. On the inside it is busy preparing for its next evolution. When evolution grows near the shell will become hot to the touch. Upon evolution Kakuna has gained the ability Shed Skin and learned the move Harden."_

"You'll be an awesome Beedrill yet," Tala said. Stinger didn't respond, but they could feel her joy none the less. They stood up and returned Stinger before turning to the group.

"Ready to go?" They asked. Sora nodded, Jacket finishing up an Oran berry snack. Ken was already prepared. Astrid was looking over her grumpy Surskit before nodding.

"Wait… where's Luke?" Tala asked.

On cue the Riolu rolled into their campsite. He ran over to Tala's bag, dug out a Pokéball and ran back into the bushes. Nobody said anything as they waited for something to happen. Luke walked back into the clearing with the Pokéball in hand. He tossed it to Tala, who stared dumbfounded.

"Did… did you just catch a Pokémon?" Tala asked.

" _To be fair,"_ Luke said, " _he punched me first. Oh and I learned Fling… surprisingly easy."_

"What is it?" Sora asked.

Tala released the Pokémon. A stubby green Pokémon looked around and huffed when it saw Luke.

" _That was dirty,"_ the Shroomish said.

"Okay," Tala drew attention to them. The Shroomish went bug eyed when he saw them. "I have so many questions, but there's one that's going to bother me the most. How did a Shroomish punch you?"

" _With his whole body…"_ Luke cocked his head and looked at Shroomish.

" _I guess… I mean the move is Drain Punch… you really weren't lying… that's really,"_ Shroomish looked between Tala and Luke. He puffed up a bit and looked up at Tala, who crouched down to be more eye level with him.

" _I agreed to be caught if he could beat me,"_ Shroomish said, " _I am honored to be your_ Pokémon _. I understand you name us? I'll accept any name so long as it is bequeathed by you."_

Tala glanced at Luke who shrugged.

"Seth?" They tried.

" _Seth is perfect!"_ Shroomish nodded… with his whole body.

" _Shroomish, the mushroom_ Pokémon _, Shroomish are often found dormant under decomposing leaf piles. If they sense danger they will shake spores off their body. The spores are so toxic they make trees and grass wilt. They feed on rotten leaves. This Shroomish is male and has the ability Poison Heal. He knows the moves: Tackle, Stun Spore, Absorb, Poison Powder, Leech Seed, and Drain Punch."_

"Welcome aboard, Seth," Tala said.

"In Safria Pokémon catch Pokémon," Ken murmured. He had his joke smile on, but again nobody understood.

Day 3 involved a great deal of training at their new campground. The group was halfway through the forest and planned to stay at the current campsite for another day before moving on.

Day 4.

The group just finished packing up camp, ready to move to their last decided spot when a boy came crashing out of the brush.

"I'm here to save you!" The boy declared. Everyone looked at each other confused before staring at him.

"Save who?" Tala asked.

"Why you my fair ladies," the boy said, "I heard your frighten screams and came to rescue you from whatever horrors you faced!"

"Screams?" Sora glanced at Astrid then Tala before all three looked back at Ken. He was giving Elizabeth a throat lozenge.

"You mean her Disarming Voice?" Astrid asked. "I told you you practiced enough." She huffed.

"Ah so a young boy has already been protecting you three ladies," the boy said, he flipped his hair from his eyes and grinned. "Cute, but wouldn't you delicate flowers prefer a man to be you shield?"

"Delicate… flowers?" Sora's eye twitched.

"Lady…" Tala murmured and scuffed their foot against the ground.

Nobody noticed Astrid's face redden.

"But of course," the boy continued to grin. He clearly didn't see their irritation. "Such lovely flowers such as yourselves must've been led astray by such a foolish boy. I would never forsake you in such a way. I would protect you all from such dangers."

"No thank you," Sora tried for a polite grin.

The boy's face fell. The "nice" attitude he had disappeared as his face turned into a sneer.

"I was being nice," he said, "you should be grateful I even bothered. Little girls like you will only get hurt alone."

"Okay, first of all," Astrid finally snapped, " _they_ ," she jabbed a finger towards Tala, "aren't female, let alone a lady, you shouldn't assume," she pointed to Ken who waved, "second, _he_ is our _friend._ Third, none of us need protecting. We made the decision to be here _together_ and none of us are "delicate flowers." So _thanks_ for being "nice" but we don't need it."

The boy's face grew red.

"Arceus, didn't realize it was that time of the month," the boy said.

"You poor boy." He shook his toward Ken.

"Alright, that's it!" Astrid screamed. She pulled out a Net ball. "Battle me! Three on three!"

The boy scoffed. "Fine by me. This will be easy."

The two went to opposite sides of the clearing, Ken moved to referee while Sora and Tala moved out of the way.

"I know Lightning is really O.P. and Surskit would be surprising, but… her Magikarp," Sora glanced at Tala nervously. "Not to mention Astrid isn't really all that great at battling. She gets lucky, sure, but this guy is more experienced than any of us."

Tala stared at Astrid for a moment before speaking.

"You remember Benny Emmit?" They asked.

"Yeah?" Sora's face scrunched up in confusion. "He was a huge bully."

"Was." Tala nodded. "Remember one day he just… stopped?"

"Yeah… yeah, he acted really strange one day and stopped harassing people," Sora said.

"Astrid whooped his butt in a high-tier battle." Tala glanced at Sora and smirked at her face.

High-tier battles were used by the teachers to demonstrate the difficulty in using high powered Pokémon by rookies. The Pokémon belonged to the teachers and most never listened to the students, some liked to put on shows while ignoring the students. Actually winning one was considered to be god-like by the students… Tala never had a problem with them.

"She… what… how?" Sora stammered out.

"When Astrid's determined, well… just watch."

At her look Tala promised to tell the story later before nodding to the battle.

"Begin!" Ken called.

The boy sent out a burly Heracross.

"Where's your Pokémon?" The boy asked.

Derp flopped upwards from the grass then disappeared in it again. The boy broke into a fit of laughter.

"Oh my Arceus! That's the best you got? Heracross, Stomp that thing's lights out." The boy double over in laughter that only increased at Astrid's order.

"Splash!" She called.

Derp flopped back and forth in the grass each time getting a little higher, but to no other effect. Heracross took his time getting to Derp, finding the situation as humorous as his trainer. One more step closer and Astrid called:

"Now!"

Derp hit the ground once more, using the momentum of the splashes, she shot into the air. Heracross looked up in surprise and was met with a small fish to the face. Despite her size, the Bounce was powerful with all the speed added to it. A final Flail to his face and Heracross fainted. Derp flopped happily before being returned.

The boy was no longer laughing.

"Heracross has Heralossed!" Ken called. Sora groaned.

"You got lucky!" He shouted. "Masquerain go!"

The white bug was met by its first stage as Astrid released Surskit.

"Ha!" The boy scoffed, "you think the pathetic first stage Pokémon can be its evolved for –" He was cut off as Masquerain was hit by a powerful Ice Beam that froze it solid. The iced bug hit the ground with a _thunk_.

"Masquerain is Masqueice!" Ken said.

"No." Sora huffed.

"I… you…" The boy's face colored. "Crustle! Crush her!"

Astrid was whispering to her Starter ball before releasing Lightning. The Slowpoke yawned in the large bugs direction.

"X-scissor!" The boy screamed.

Crustle scuttled forward, but Lightning disappeared before he even got close. Lightning reappeared over Crustle, her body hung in the air with her head down towards the ground. She released a harsh torrent of water from her mouth and shot upwards while blasting Crustle. The bug screeched in pain until Lightning disappeared again and came back in front of Astrid.

"Cheap trick, but Crustle is far stronger than that!" The boy shouted.

"Psychic," Astrid said, her voice hard. Lightning's eyes glowed blue then so did Crustle's body. Crustle was lifted a few feet up before being slammed to the ground then dragged across the ground into a tree.

"Crustle is Bustle!" Ken announced then ducked under a rock thrown by Sora.

"Where'd she even learn this?" Sora asked.

"Well she did say she was going to train yesterday," Tala said.

Astrid returned Lightning and stared at the boy, his face was purple with rage. Before she could say anything to him he grabbed a Starter ball from his belt and tossed it. An Arbok appeared with a hiss. Astrid froze, her face paled.

"Poison Fang!" The boy shouted.

"Fling!"

Arbok's mouth snapped shut on the Hardened shell of Stinger. A glow encompassed her for a moment before a Beedrill emerged from the shell.

"Enough!" Tala stepped forward. Stinger flew backwards and Arbok shrunk back as Tala approached.

"You," they pointed at the Arbok, who looked ready to slither into a hole, "should know better than to attack a human. I don't care what your trainer tells you! Apologize, now. Then return."

Arbok bowed his head toward Astrid before slithering back to his trainer and returning himself.

"And you," Tala turned on the boy, "get out of here. If I _ever_ see you again…" They didn't finish. The boy had lost all color and fled for his life. The Scary Face Tala used probably helped cause that.

They waited until they couldn't hear him any longer before relaxing.

"Techno?" They glanced at their Pokédex.

" _Photo sent to the nearest police station, along with an explanation of the situation,_ " Techno reported.

Tala nodded before turning to their friends.

"Ready to go?"

XXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxx

Six months ago.

"I just want to go home," Astrid groaned. "Why won't the teachers just flunk me already?"

"Because they realize you're doing it on purpose?" Tala suggested. They had a headache that day and it was not being helped by Astrid's whining. They were sitting in the courtyard, Tala attempting to study for their next quiz.

"Well, if it isn't Hackstrid and the Cheater." Tala joined Astrid in her groan. Benny Emmit and his friends were heading towards them.

"What do you want Benny?" Astrid asked.

"Me? I was just wondering how it felt to be the worst student to _ever_ attend Pokémon Academy?" Benny grinned down at her. He leaned over her with his hands on his hips like was lecturing a small child.

"I don't know. What's it like to be the ugly child?" Astrid asked.

Benny's face colored.

"You're one to talk," he scoffed, "your parents didn't even want you around. Had to send you to another country to get rid of you."

Tala joined Astrid in her glaring.

"I don't know why the school lets you stay here," he continued, "or any of you weaklings. The girls are the worst. All of you should just go home and play with dolls. Leave battling to the men." He puffed up his chest.

"You couldn't beat a Rattata let alone be a strong trainer with that attitude," Astrid snapped.

"Says you, but I've never seen you win a single battle," Benny sneered.

"Let's battle then," Astrid stood up and nearly smacked into him. "One on one, high-tier battle."

"You're on," Benny said.

"Um… how are you going to get the Pokémon?" One of Benny's friends asked.

Tala sighed and stood, brushing the grass off their pants.

"I've got it," they said and started walking away. "Arena 1, ten minutes."

Nine minutes later.

Tala arrived at Arena 1 with the battle instructor, Mr. Johnson.

"How'd you convince him?" Astrid asked.

"Told him the truth," Tala shrugged. "It's a battle for honor."

"Alright you two," Mr. Johnson said, "pick your Pokémon at random." He held up a case of six normal Pokéballs. Astrid grabbed one and walked over to her side of the field. Benny got to the other side a moment later.

"First knock out wins." Mr. Johnson moved to the referee spot and held up the flags. "Begin!"

Both students threw their ball at the same time. Benny's Pokémon was a Charizard, the large brute of a Pokémon roared flames to announce her arrival. Astrid's Pokémon was a Hydreigon.

Benny and his friends laughed. Hydreigon was infamous for never listening to anyone but Mr. Johnson, and even then the stories the teacher told to gain his respect were horrifying.

"Hydreigon," Astrid got the dragon's attention. "We're going to win." She said, her voice confident and solid. The dragon stared into her eyes with all three heads before nodding the middle one and turning to face Charizard.

"Begin!"

"Dragon Pulse," Benny said.

Charizard loafed around.

"Scary Face," Astrid said, "twice, then Stone Edge."

Hydreigon glared at Charizard, lowering her speed.

"Dodge and use Dragon Pulse!" Benny shouted.

Charizard used Flamethrower.

The stones came charging toward Charizard and the orange lizard let it hit her before getting serious. She shot Flamethrower after Flamethrower at Hydreigon.

"Surf and Charge Beam." Astrid said. Tala was impressed she remembered the names of the moves.

One head opened and blasted a stream of water while another head released an electrical beam into the water. The blast struck Charizard and she fainted on impact.

"Charizard is unable to battle," Mr. Johnson announced, "Astrid is the winner!"

"You… you cheated!" Benny shouted. "Nobody can control that thing! You cheated!" He stormed towards Astrid, red faced. Hydreigon moved between them, all three heads growling. Benny stopped and paled at the sight.

"Astrid won because Hydreigon knew she was serious about this battle," Tala said. They walked over next to the large dragon and patted one of his necks. The dragon cooed affectionately toward Tala.

"Hydreigon is many things, but he knows when a person deserves respect," Mr. Johnson added, "and in this moment, Astrid deserved it enough to obey."

Hydreigon nodded all three heads in agreement. Benny stared, wide-eyed.

Mr. Johnson turned to Astrid.

"I knew you had potential," he said. "There's no way we're sending you home now." He grinned and took the Pokéballs back, returning his Charizard and walking off with Hydreigon.

"Fudge," Astrid groaned. Tala patted their shoulder sympathetically.

AN/ Hope you enjoyed! Astrid has skill she simply doesn't want to be a battle focused trainer. Next chapter will be the first gym battle. It'll probably be out by tomorrow. Thanks for reading~


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The First Gym

The group was out of the forest in five days total and made it to Orania Town that evening. They made it to the Pokémon Center, everyone looked forward to a shower and bed. The Center was crawling with their fellow classmates, some called out greetings while others didn't pay them mind. One group of three looked crestfallen as they waited for their Pokémon to be healed.

The four of them got in line to heal their own Pokémon then moved to the cafeteria for dinner.

"So, strategies for tomorrow?" Sora asked between bites of spaghetti.

"Elizabeth," Ken said.

"Here," Tala put their Pokédex on the table. Everyone leaned over to watch the screen as it displayed a video of two trainers battling.

"It's an exhibition match between the Dragon-type Gym Leader here and the Poison-type Gym Leader. They're both using their strongest Pokémon," Tala explained.

The match featured a Garchomp and Gengar, both glowed orange for a few seconds before coming out Mega Evolved. The battle was intense, but was ultimately won by Mega Garchomp getting in a lucky Earthquake before Mega Gengar could escape.

"We have to fight her?!" Astrid freaked.

"She won't use Garchomp," Sora said, "she'll use weaker Pokémon since we're all rookies."

"Type advantages are usually fine for first gyms," Tala added. "Still weird it's a Dragon Gym though."

Astrid didn't look certain, but nobody pushed it.

XXXXXXXXxxxxxx

The next morning none of them got up early. Their beds were far too comfortable, even their Pokémon slept in, so they didn't get to the Gym until after lunch.

The Gym was easy to find. It sat at the edge of town and was the largest building around. It was at least twenty stories and made of shiny black stone. The top of the building spiked out in two areas like horns and a Salamence was coming in for a landing at that moment.

"Ready?" Ken asked. The others nodded, though a bit hesitant before entering the building.

The inside was far less intimidating. The lobby had a few large, plush red couches, a couple people – none they recognized – sat on them chatting. A couple elevators were against the left wall and the right had a hallway leading to who knows where. A receptionist desk sat on the opposite side from, the occupant smiled in their direction and waved them over. Behind him was a tranquil waterfall that poured from a hole in the ceiling.

"Welcome," the receptionist smiled, "come to challenge the Gym?" The group nodded.

"Excellent!" He was unfazed by their hesitance, "If you'll hand over you Pokédexes, I just need to scan them." He looked at Ken's like one would at a fossil Pokémon, and admitted his envy at Sora and Tala's, both Porygons' expressed their thanks.

"Alright," he nodded once Astrid's was scanned and handed back. "She's finishing her last challenge now, when she's done you four can go in. Please have a seat and I'll call you when it's your turn." Tala and Ken nodded and started walking off first so they didn't hear the receptionist next question. A moment later Astrid and Sora joined them looking pleased.

It was only about five minutes before the last challenger came walking out of the elevator. The group knew him from school, Ryan Addle, he wasn't the best student, but given his smile he seemed to have won.

"Hey! Ken! Check it!" Ryan held up the small silver badge with a green stylized dragon curling over itself. "Pretty neat right? She knocked out all but one of my Pokémon but I still won!"

Ken gave him a thumbs up.

"Thanks! Maybe we can battle later! If you win that is," Ryan said and walked off.

"Trainers of Awesome Kindred Spirits!" The receptionist read out with a straight face, "The Gym Leader is ready for you."

Astrid and Sora stood up looking pleased, Ken and Tala gave them looks.

"Or TAKS for short," Astrid said.

"Why?" Tala asked as they went back to the receptionist.

"He asked if we had a team name," Sora said.

"And what kind of trainers would we be without a proper name," Astrid added.

"Floor 12," the receptionist told them and nodded to the elevators.

The four of them stepped out of the elevator into a standard arena, though the throne on the opposite side of the room was anything but standard. The Gym Leader sat on the throne, her Garchomp on one side and a Dragonite on the other.

"Welcome challengers!" She called as she stood. She was in her mid-twenties, with pink and green hair and a bright orange jumpsuit. A black cape hung off her shoulders, normally it'd make someone look ridiculous, but the two dragons kind of stopped that affect.

A Salamence flew over from behind the throne and landed behind the Gym Leader.

"Oh welcome back," the Gym Leader rubbed his head. She kissed him and he cooed before she turned back to the trainers.

"Alright, I'm Gym Leader Cybil, and this battle will be a test as to whether or not you can continue your journey or need to return to school," she announced. "I hope all of you are better than the last wave of graduates."

"Wait what?" Tala asked. They ignored the looks the dragons gave them and continued to stare at the Gym Leader.

"Safria can be a dangerous region, most of it is untamed wilderness, I test new trainers to ensure they can hold their own," Cybil explained. "For this battle I'll only use one Pokémon while you may use all that you have."

"Who's first?"

"Um…" Astrid spoke up, "what if we don't want to do the Gym challenge?"

"The first two everyone must do, after that it's up to you," Cybil said. "Now, you first."

Astrid went wide-eyed as Cybil pointed at her.

"Good luck," Sora patted her shoulder and walked towards the spectator stands.

"Don't let the battle _drag-on_ ," Ken grinned at Sora's groan before joining her.

Tala took a moment longer than the other two. They placed a hand on Astrid's shoulder and looked her in the eyes.

"I know you want to give up and go home," they said, Astrid flinched, "but just think about the Pokémon you'll meet here, the stories you'll create, and the adventures we'll have. I won't tell you what to do, but… just think about it, okay?" They squeezed her shoulder and went to join the other two.

Astrid took a steadying breath, closed her eyes, and stepped into her box. When her eyes opened again they burned with determination as they sent out Surskit. Cybil sent out a Gible.

"This match will be a one on three match!" The referee – which no one noticed until then – shouted, reading something off a screen. "The challenger is allowed to switch Pokémon at any time. The battle will end when one side is out of Pokémon. Begin!"

"Smell!" Astrid called.

"Smell what?" Cybil blinked in confusion. She caught on quick when Surskit released a pink cloud of sweet smelling gas. Gible inhaled before she could warn him, a blush formed on his cheeks as he started to sway.

"Gible use Dig to get away!" Cybil called.

"Jump Beam!" Astrid said. Surskit Lunged forward and shot an Ice Beam at Gible as he started to dig. The Ice Beam clipped his foot and froze over the hole, but Gible got away.

Astrid had been whispering to her Starter ball since giving the order. Once Gible disappeared underground she made a quick switch.

Lightning released a Hydro Pump at the ground the moment she was released. She kept spewing water until the ground was muddy and gross. Gible popped his head out, gasping for air as the mud rolled off his body. He had no chance to dodge the incoming Ice Beam shot from Surskit as Astrid pulled off another switch.

Gible survived the blast, barely, and pulled himself out of his hole. He spat a Dragon Rage at Surskit. Surskit used Quick Attack to dodge and glide across the mud. He pushed himself up and into a Lunge that struck Gible in the stomach. The little dragon fainted.

"Gible is unable to battle!" The referee held up a green flag toward Astrid. "The winner is Astrid Thorppe, of Melemele Island!"

"Good combos, kid," Cybil said. "You sure you don't want to do the Gym challenge? I think you'd make waves."

"Maybe… I'll think about it," Astrid said.

Cybil nodded.

"I'll hand out badges once all the battles are complete," Cybil said. "Who's next?"

"Me!" Sora called and hopped over to the challenger's box.

"This will be a two on one battle," the referee called, reading off the screen again. "The battle will end when either side is unable to battle. Begin!"

Jacket came out opposite to a Deino.

"String Shot!" Sora called and kept calling it. Deino tried to dodge, but couldn't avoid all of the sticky strings. One wrapped around her feet and caused her to faceplant into the ground.

"Get up and use Headbutt!" Cybil called.

"Bug bite!"

Jacket latched onto Deino's neck before she could get up all the way. The dragon began to panic and ran around screeching as she thrashed her neck about.

"Deino! Calm down and roll over!" Cybil called.

Her voice made Deino snap back to reality as she followed the order and ended up scraping Jacket off.

"Razor Leaf to get away," Sora called.

"Fire Fang!"

The fire in Deino's mouth incinerated the leaves shot by Jacket, making her escape trickier. She shot a hasty String Shot into Deino's face, causing the dragon to charge recklessly forward.

"Look out!" Sora called. "String Shot and Bug Bite, quick!"

Jacket followed through, using the String Shot for leverage, swinging around Deino and chomping into the back of her neck. Deino screeched in pain.

"Return!" Sora made a quick switch and released Spoopy. "Flurry!"

Spoopy shot a barrage of Shadow Balls at Deino. Normally not very effective, but many Shadow Balls at once did a number on the weakened dragon. Spoopy followed with a Lick and that was it.

"Deino is unable to battle!" The ref called. "Sora Mikia of Aliane City is the winner."

"Nice tactics to slow your opponent down," Cybil said, "and effective use of ineffective moves. Good work."

"Thanks!" Sora and Spoopy went back to the seats.

Cybil was about to call next when Ken appeared in the challenger's box. Elizabeth waved, proud of her Teleport.

"Alright…" Cybil nodded and sent out a Dratini. Dragonite cooed at the little blue dragon, who turned and made a noise back.

"She's his daughter," Cybil explained. Dratini preened before turning to her opponent.

"This will be a two on one battle!" The ref repeated the same words from before then called for the match to start.

"Teleport, Teleport, Teleport, Teleport," Ken continued to say the word until it no longer sounded like a word. Elizabeth flashed around the field, avoiding every move Dratini used.

"Would you take this serious?" Cybil stomped her foot in frustration. Ken continued to say Teleport.

"Alright, you know what? Enough!" Cybil yelled. Dragonite and Garchomp patted her shoulders, but she was too annoyed. "Hyper Beam the entire field."

"Return," Ken made a quick switch. Rattata hissed at Dratini as she built up the Hyper Beam. The plasma beam shot out and struck Rattata dead on, blinding everyone for a moment. When it finally died, Rattata was still standing, tired, bruised, and on the verge of collapsing, but still standing.

"What? How?" Cybil asked.

Rattata began to glow red, the red light beamed off him and hit Dratini while she recovered. Her condition changed from perfect health to nearly unconscious, then Rattata used Quick Attack.

"Dratini is unable to battle! Ken Hendricks of Palia Village is the winner!"

"I… what… _how?_ " Cybil stood gaping.

"Endure and Endeavor," Tala said as they switched places with Ken.

Cybil facepalmed and groaned. "I forgot about those." She shook her head and eyed the three sitting down.

"Are you sure you're all rookies?" She asked then sighed. Dragonite tapped her shoulder and she released Dratini again. The little blue dragon looked sad before Dragonite scooped her up and hugged her.

"Alright. Last battle," Cybil smiled at the display before turning back to the field. "I hope… what are you doing?" She looked at her other dragons who were staring intently at Tala.

"Uh… this happens," Tala waved off and pulled out their Starter ball.

"Right…" Cybil eyed her Pokémon for a moment longer before reaching for a ball on her belt. Garchomp stopped her and gestured toward a different ball.

"Are you sure?" Cybil asked. She received a nod in return. She shrugged and switched Pokéballs. The ref gave the same announcement as before, three on one, and called to begin.

Luke landed on the field opposite a Jangmo-o. Both Fighting-type Pokémon bowed to the other before moving into a fighting stance. Neither moved as they stared each other down.

"Work up!" Cybil broke the silence. Jangmo-o's body glowed as he shouted with rage.

"Use Quick Attack to get close and use Force Palm," Tala murmured. Luke's ears twitched before he followed through the orders. Luke appeared in front of Jangmo-o and slapped his face.

"Brick Break!"

Jangmo-o leapt forward and slashed at Luke with a glowing paw. He cuffed Luke in the side as Luke dodged backwards. The Riolu twisted in the air and skidded on his feet until he found his grip. He moved into another Quick Attack, looked for an opening and struck for Jangmo-o's side with an Ice Punch. Jangmo-o retaliated with a Shadow Claw and almost hit Luke with a quick Dragon Tail.

Both Pokémon charged and struck each other, one with Ice Punch, the other with Brick Break. They strained for control before breaking away at some unseen signal.

Tala kept whispering commands to Luke while Cybil shouted her own. Tala's hands curled into fist as the battle sped up. When both Pokémon locked into another standoff Tala whispered:

"Fling."

Luke's other paw struck out and grabbed Jangmo-o's leg. He twisted his body and flung the quadruped dragon away. Jangmo-o rolled on the ground but got back up. He shook his body out and at Cybil's shout charged into a Headbutt. Luke didn't have a chance to dodge.

The wind was knocked out of him as the dragon slammed into his torso and sent him flying backwards. Tala cried out in pain.

"Are you alright?" Cybil called. She glanced at the ref, wondering if she should call for a time out. Tala was bent over, their arms wrapped around their stomach.

Unseen by anyone was the flash of purple in their eyes before they straightened at the same moment Luke stood up. Both of them had the same glint in their eyes as they moved in perfect synch. Tala and Luke slid their right foot behind them, their fist in front of their faces. They punched out as one, Luke when propelling forward with Bullet Punch and slammed into Jangmo-o. Without stopping he uppercut the dragon in the jaw with an Ice Punch, Tala moved their fist as he did. Both crouched and leapt into the air, they twisted and kicked down, Luke's leg connected with Jangmo-o's head.

Luke and Tala landed in unison and took a fighting pose, but relaxed when the referee called out.

"Jangmo-o is unable to battle! The winner is Tala Gibbons from…" He trailed off as he read from his screen. "Um… from all over?" He tried and glanced at Tala.

They weren't paying attention, a smile split their face as Luke turned to face them. Both of them grinned before charging towards each other. Tala gathered their starter into their arms and hugged him tight.

"Did you see that? Did you feel it? That was amazing! I never thought I would get there! But I saw you get hit and I could stand the thought of you being in pain and then…" Tala trailed off as they grinned at Luke.

" _It was incredible!"_ Luke agreed.

" _Truly amazing,"_ Dragonite said. He and the other evolved dragons were in front of Tala now, with Dratini around his neck. _"Not that we expected any less."_

Tala blushed as Garchomp patted their shoulder.

"Why are you acting so weird?" Cybil asked walking over. "You'd think they wanted me to lose to you."

" _Not… entirely…"_ Salamence said, looking guilty. _"We wanted to ensure your safety."_

The other three trainers joined up on the field, congratulating Tala.

"You did that awesome flip and then bam!" Sora said doing a play by play.

"Are you okay, though?" Astrid asked, placing a hand on Tala's arm.

"I'm fine," Tala said. They ignored the throbbing in their gut.

Cybil gained their attention back before presenting them each their own badge. They looked similar to the one their classmate, Ryan, had shown them earlier, except the dragon on their badges were black.

Astrid asked the question everyone was thinking.

"Why is ours black and not green?"

"Hmm? Oh, you knew my last challenger I guess," Cybil said, making a face of displeasure. "You see, all of the Gym Leaders in the region have color system in place with their badges. There are five colors that can be presented to the challenger depending on how well the Gym Leader deemed the challenge. Purple is the highest for me, I only give those to trainers that complete my high-tier battles," she added at their looks. "Black is the second highest, while green is the lowest. Before you leave town there's a gate you have to go through to move on. The attendants there will use the badge to assess which paths would be best to inform you of."

"So the better the color the more choices we get?" Sora asked.

"Yup!" Cybil nodded. "It is mostly for the first two badges, to ensure the trainers can handle themselves in the rest of the region, but still it's useful in every area. Your friend will only be told about the most straightforward path to the next town."

"What's to stop someone from changing direction once they're in the wild?" Sora asked.

"Nothing," Cybil shrugged. "By then it is their choice, but most people tend to stick with the directions they were given. Especially if they don't know any other way is possible. So don't go spreading this knowledge around too much," Cybil winked, "but that's enough of that. Off you go! Oh and come back when you're all stronger! I'd love a rematch!"

The group left, high on victory, and made their way back to the Pokémon Center. They wouldn't leave until tomorrow morning, so tonight was dedicated to celebrating.

AN/ I hope you enjoyed the gym battles. They were a little easy but hey it's the first gym. They will one day return for a more explosive match against Cybil.


End file.
